This practice brief provides practical, research-based strategies educators can use to de-escalate challenging student behavior in the classroom. Despite the development of supportive, safe, and predictable school environments, students may, at times, become agitated, and their behavior may escalate to unsafe levels. With some advance planning,…

This book argues that teachers' active participation in policy advocacy is crucial to creating a K-12 educational system that honors the needs of students, families, and communities. The authors examine obstacles to teacher involvement in policy, analyze preservice and practicing teachers' experiences, and present a model for collaborative…

This guide describes the use of a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework, like positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), to restart classrooms and schools in a manner that all students, families, and educators are supported effectively, efficiently, and relevantly. This guide is not a primer on MTSS or PBIS. (For a basic…

This review explores the integration and effects of the Internet of Things (IoT) in education, highlighting its importance in transforming traditional teaching and learning techniques. It examines the early uses and historical growth of IoT, its development, and the turning points in its adoption. It explores IoT platforms, tools, and technologies…

Over 400 schools throughout the world have adopted Invitational Education to foster innovative thinking, sustained positive action, and the creation of socially and emotionally safe schools. As educators are now involved in an epic rethinking of what they do and how they do it, "Developing Inviting Schools" provides a dependable guide…

The goal of this toolkit is to give educators and school leaders the tools that they need to prevent bullying and harassment by fostering a positive school climate. This package is meant to be used as a guide for teachers and administrators in their work to develop a safe and healthy school climate and, in the process, prevent bullying and…

This "Equity Tool" illustrates research on the effects homophobia and transphobia have on the mental health of LGBTQ+ students, as well as strategies and resources teachers and administrators can use to address this issue. This tool includes three infographics to help the audience understand this information, and share it with others, in…

This document describes resources to support the role of teachers in school safety efforts. The resources are organized into the following categories: (1) General Resources; (2) Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Development; (3) Educator Resilience and Self-Care; (4) Hazard- and Threat-Specific; and (5) Youth Preparedness.

Award-winning educator Tina M. Owen-Moore details the beliefs and practices that made the Alliance School of Milwaukee the focus of national attention as the first school to open with the mission of being bully-free. "The Alliance Way" illustrates how creating a safe, inclusive, and academically challenging environment goes beyond a…

As districts in California have opened for the 2021-22 school year, they have faced the challenging task of keeping students learning safely in person in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which intensified right before schools opened with the spread of the Delta variant of the virus. This brief compiles preliminary information on reopening for…

The secret to every positive learning environment? Belonging. When students feel that they belong in their school and classroom, commitment to learning goes up and behavioral disruptions subside. And when teachers embrace an SEL-infused approach to classroom management that helps every student feel valued, safe, and competent, belonging soars.…

The purpose of this "Equity Tool" is to provide explicit guidance and resources for the facilitation of a professional learning experience to educate staff in schools about LGBTQ+ students in rural communities. It strives to support this effort by offering an introductory professional learning session for school personnel to engage in…

It comes as no surprise that college students are experiencing heightened levels of stress and anxiety. Liu, Stevens, Wong, Yasui, and Chen's (2019) research "point to an urgent need for service utilization strategies, especially among racial/ethnic, sexual, or gender minorities. Campuses must consider student experiences to mitigate stress…

In this stirring follow-up to the award-winning "Fostering Resilient Learners," Kristin Van Marter Souers and Pete Hall take you to the next level of trauma-invested practice. To get there, they explain, educators need to build a "nest"--a positive learning environment shaped by three new Rs of education: relationship,…

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. students attend rural schools. After a two-year pandemic, issues related to funding, teacher recruitment and retention, and serving disadvantaged students have become more severe in rural school districts. In the five-part report series, "Educational Equity for Rural Students: Out of the Pandemic, but Still Out of the…